Rob Coppinger
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Articles by Rob Coppinger
Artemis II – “the start of something bigger”
As four humans venture beyond low Earth orbit in over half a century, ROB COPPINGER reports from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) for the launch of a historic space mission – Artemis II. Amazement would be the word to choose if someone wanted a single word to sum up 1 April and the six Earthly days that preceded it before it as part of NASA’s Artemis II mission.
Transporting the most fragile and vulnerable: neonatal and pediatric air transfers
Looking after children and babies requires some of the most complex care with specialized equipment. Advanced training and qualifications for crew are essential, as well as unique technology to accommodate the wide range of diseases and physical sizes of neonatal and pediatric patients. A challenge for air ambulance services is that neonatal and pediatric transports are not frequent because roads are deemed a safer option, but the equipment and training must still be current.
France upgrades wind tunnels open fan engine testing
The testing of a new type of propulsion system that claims to be greener has seen major changes to one of the French national aerospace research agency ONERA’s wind tunnels as part of a wider modernization program for the government wind tunnel facility in Modane, France near the Italian border.
Pushing the envelope: flying in low-density air
Helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft for medevac, ambulance flights and other special missions are being enhanced to ensure they can operate in the hot and high locations that make the job more perilous and where smooth and accurate flight can mean all the difference. As air gets hotter, at any altitude, it becomes less dense and stable, so flying through it is more difficult.
Safety management systems: a successful marriage of humans and technology
Risk needs to be managed with the same level of priority as other core business processes in the effort to be a profitable enterprise, and technology and training are key. “With advancements in technology, safety management systems have become more sophisticated and integrated, leveraging digital tools and platforms for enhanced efficiency and effectiveness,” explained Janita Wiedemann, Compliance Monitoring Manager at FAI Aviation Group.
Pilot training
Technology continues to transform training with simulation and other types of equipment providing different educational services for companies and pilots with different needs. From classrooms to mixed reality headsets, the range of training is there to meet the varied requirements of the special missions sector, but it will all culminate in an aircraft at some point.
Testing transformations: Digital tools and flight instruments
Condensation may not seem like the arch enemy of a helicopter’s cockpit, but in some climates the adoption of multi-functional displays (MFD) brings with it a unique problem, moisture. This is one of the experiences search and rescue (SAR) pilots in Central and South America have that highlights the sort of cost and functionality problems in the field that are overlooked when considering avionics and other equipment that SAR teams utilise.
Building an autonomous business jet
A vision of an artificial intelligence piloted business jet was presented to the world last October by Embraer, while in recent years autonomous piloting in specific circumstances has become a reality. Two companies, Cirrus and HondaJet now offer an autonomous flight feature for emergencies. For several years before these recent developments, the aviation industry had been debating reduced or no pilot operations.
Personal locator beacons: Salvation for all
New technology for personal locator beacons (PLBs) is enabling faster response times for search and rescue (SAR) providers, with the latest generation of SAR beacons, detectors and networks slowly entering new sectors and, increasingly, the civilian market as well. Since September 2022, people with the Apple iPhone 14 or the larger iPhone 14 Plus have been able to select an emergency SAR function that sends a signal to a satellite, not a cellular network tower, to give the user’s location.
Personal locator beacons: Salvation for all
New technology for personal locator beacons (PLBs) is enabling faster response times for search and rescue (SAR) providers, with the latest generation of SAR beacons, detectors and networks slowly entering new sectors and, increasingly, the civilian market as well. Since September 2022, people with the Apple iPhone 14 or the larger iPhone 14 Plus have been able to select an emergency SAR function that sends a signal to a satellite, not a cellular network tower, to give the user’s location.
Testing trajectory based operations
Trajectory-based operations is one of the most important shifts in the way air traffic is handled for decades. The pan-European air traffic management (ATM) organization Eurocontrol uses the word transformation when it refers to the adoption by European ATM of trajectory-based operations and the flight optimization it enables through collaborative flight planning.
Atomic rockets are back
While the current Oppenheimer blockbuster film focused on the destructive power of nuclear weapons, more peaceful uses of atomic propulsion for space exploration are now gaining once again momentum. ROB COPPINGER reports.
The Rise & Fall of British Eagle - ePub Version
British Eagle, Britain’s second biggest independent airline, was bankrupted by the policies of all the governments, Conservative and Labour, who ruled Britain between 1948 and 1968. Each administration, to a greater or lesser degree, hamstrung Eagle and other independent airlines with policies that favoured the bloated, inefficient, state-owned carriers. This situation would not change until the European Union introduced “Open Skies” policies in the 1980s.
Want to Fix the NHS? Introduce AI Technologies Now!
The NHS is a crumbling mess of poorly run hospitals, services, and antiquated technologies that believes the answer to all its problems is more money, but the reality is that more money would likely worsen the service in the long run. Instead, what the NHS really needs is to demonstrate to the whole world how AI services and smartphones can help reduce pressures on healthcare services. What challenges does the NHS face, why is technology the answer, and where will healthcare go in the future?
Intel Announces 6GHz Processors: Will Processors Finally Get Faster?
Recently, Intel announced that one of its next generation processors will operate at 6GHz out-of-the-box, and therefore igniting a new arms race in CPU design. What challenges have CPUs faced over the past decade, what has Intel announced, and how could this fuel a new race? What challenges have CPUs faced in the last ten years?
UK government announced new security rules on ISPs and mobile network providers to boost security
The rising dependence on internet-powered technologies has made society more vulnerable to cyberattacks than ever, and this has led the UK government to introduce new rules on cybersecurity for ISPs and mobile network providers. What challenges does technology dependence present, what has the government announced, and why are the rules needed? What challenges does technological dependencies present to modern nations?
Is the US CHIPS Act Flawed? It May Not Protect Supply Chains After All
While many US-based semiconductor foundries celebrate the passing of the US CHIPS act, some doubt whether its introduction will do any good and if it can even protect supply chains. What was the purpose of the CHIPS act, why it may fail to protect supply chains, and what needs to be done? What was the purpose of the CHIPS act? By far, the most important news story in the electronics industry this year has been the CHIPS act in the United States.
The US Announces New Export Bans on Modern Semiconductor Technologies
Recently, the US government announced a wave of new export bans that prevent foreign nations (i.e. China) from developing state-of-the-art semiconductors. What exactly does the ban include, how will these hinder China's attempts, and is there any real benefit to the export bans?
Do I Know You? How Flawed is Facial Recognition?
I Live in London, which means that when I move around the city, be it for business meetings, shopping or sightseeing, I will be photographed over 200 times in one day. This will be by a variety of devices that can be government or police surveillance, business security, or private security systems used by property owners. Surveys have put the number of CCTV cameras in London at around 870,000, although getting a precise figure is difficult because not all cameras are officially registered.
Bad for Privacy, but Great for Security: Apple AirTag Used to Identify Airport Staff Thief
Recently, an air traveller used an Apple AirTag to locate her missing luggage, which resulted in the arrest of an airline worker with over $16,000 of luggage recovered. What exactly happened at the airport, how do Apple AirTags work, and do they present privacy issues?
Piezoelectric Anemometer Developed for Improved Plane & Drone Flights
Recently, researchers demonstrated an anemometer that utilises solid materials that help to significantly reduce drag while simultaneously reducing energy consumption and improving performance. What challenges does wind present to autonomous drone systems, what did the researchers demonstrate, and how does this illustrate the importance of solid-state devices? What challenges does wind present to autonomous drone systems?
EDF restricts nuclear power in France as rivers are too darn hot!
Recently, EDF announced that it will be reducing the power output of their nuclear reactors in France as river waters become too hot. Why do nuclear reactors struggle to react to sudden changes in power demand, why are nuclear reactors sensitive to river and sea temperatures, and do nuclear plants face future challenges with future heatwaves? When it comes to renewable energy, many seems to be looking towards solar and wind as these power sources are arguably the most environmentally friendly.
The stupidity of “massless batteries”
Time and time again researchers and the media report on “game changing” technologies that appear to defy the laws of physics, and the so called “massless battery” is one of them. What challenges do battery technologies present, what are massless batteries, and why are they anything but? The importance of battery technologies cannot be understated; they are responsible for powering the vast majority of portable devices including smart watches, smart phones, IoT sensors, and handheld tools.
Chess robot breaks child’s finger in clear sore loser move
Recently in Russia, a robotic system playing 4 chess games simultaneously was left confused after a child player rushed their move, which resulted in the robot breaking the child’s finger. What caused the robot to break the child’s finger, what challenges do robotic systems face, and could it have been avoided?
Switzerland completes €2bn pumped hydro storage, media calls it a “water battery”!
As engineers continue to find economic solutions to storing excess renewable energy, the media continues to exaggerate well-established technologies with the goal of creating hype and wonder. What energy storage solutions currently exist, what has Switzerland spent €2bn on, and how has the media overreacted to such developments? What energy storage solutions currently exist?
Joint venture unveils world’s first RISC-V laptop
As RISC-V continues to push the boundaries of open-source computing, a joint venture between DeepComputing and Xcalibyte has developed the world’s first RISC-V laptop set to be released in September. Why is RISC-V’s popularity growing, what are the specs of the new laptop, and could this help push the use of Linux onto everyday users? Why is RISC-V’s popularity growing?
Russia responsible for large-scale cyberattack against Viasat satellite network
A large cyberattack that affected Viasat moments before the Russian invasion of Ukraine has been determined to have been orchestrated by Russia. What exactly did the attack do, how did the malware damage modems, and was there any measurable impact on Ukraine forces? What exactly did the attack do? Just one hour before Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Viasat experienced a large-scale attack on its high-speed satellite internet service.
Researchers demonstrate scalable single-molecule sensors
Researchers have recently demonstrated a full-scale integrated circuit that can detect individual molecules. What challenges does individual molecular detection face, what did the researchers demonstrate, and where could this technology be used? When it comes to molecular science, the ingeniousness of researchers cannot go understated.
Intel files patent for Forksheet Transistor
Intel has recently filed for a new patent regarding the next generation of transistor design; the Forksheet transistor. What challenges does Moore’s Law present, what are Forksheet transistors, and what technology will succeed this? By far, the most significant factor that has helped advanced technology is the ability to reduce the size of transistors. The power of a computing device determines what it can do, and the more powerful a computer is, the more it can do.
IBM announces Vertical FET - Why going up matters
Recently, researchers from IBM and Samsung have jointly developed a new semiconductor technology called VTFET that claims will help to increase transistor counts. What is VTFET, why is going up instead of out extremely important, and how will VTFET change the industry? Vertical Field-Effect Transistors, or VTFET for short, is a new semiconductor technology that has been recently announced by IBM and Samsung that was developed as a joint venture.
Intel suspends all operations in Russia in retaliation for the Ukraine War
After a month’s notice to customers in Russia, Intel has finally suspended all operations in Russia in retaliation to the invasion of Ukraine by Putin. What did Intel specifically announce, what does this mean for Russia, and will companies return to Russia? No word can describe the atrocities currently ongoing in Ukraine. As the Russians pull out of northern regions, evidence of mass graves, torture, and brutality unseen in Europe since WW2 is now being unearthed.
Building Molecular Electronic Systems with Multiple Functionalities
As manufacturers look to scale down their electronic systems to align with consumer demand, there are often limitations to how small different components can be. While devices have not fallen entirely in line with Moore's Law in recent years, miniaturisation is happening, but the sheer scale of developments over the years means that the scaling down of components has had to slow down slightly. There is only so far where current technologies can facilitate the scaling down of electronic components.
CasFET - A new transistor technology
Recently, researchers from Purdue University announced the development of a new transistor technology called CasFET that may help further reduce the size of transistors. What challenges do current semiconductor foundries face, what did the researchers develop, and could it help with the next generation of semiconductor devices?
Micron’s $150 billion fabrication capabilities expansion
Recently, Micron announced that it will be investing up to $150 billion over the next decade to expand its fabrication capabilities. What developments in technology have placed unprecedented demand, what will Micron plan to do, and could such expansion give rise to ASIC and other custom semiconductors? When it comes to drama and media attention, most would immediately think of celebrities and the unusual relationship between various artists.
Intel announces Loihi 2 - A Neuromorphic Chip
Recently, Intel announced the development of its latest neuromorphic chip called Loihi2 and an open framework for developing solutions for it. What is neuromorphic computing, what are the specifics of the Loihi 2 chip, and could neuromorphic designs be the solution to advanced AI systems? Neuromorphic computing is a computing technology whose function closely resembles neurons in the brain.
Facebook and WhatsApp - The problem with unified platforms
The recent outage in services from Facebook, including Messenger and WhatsApp, caused worldwide challenges in messaging others. Still, it demonstrates an excellent example of why the unification of platforms and standardisation of protocols can be problematic. What challenges do unification and standards provide, why does the Facebook outage demonstrate the challenges of unification and standards, and how will engineers of the future account for these challenges?
DARPA looking for wireless power transmission via lasers
Recently, DARPA announced its interest in wireless power transmission and has asked the industry for solutions. What advantages does wireless laser power transmission offer, why may DARPA be looking for such technologies, and what challenges does it face? In the field of electronics, it seems that most things are now wireless to some degree. Wi-Fi provides wireless internet, NFC provides contactless payment options, and RFIDs allow devices to be identified even without needing a local power source.
Electronics to get more expensive as semiconductor manufacturers struggle
More than two years after the start of the COVID pandemic, semiconductors continue to struggle to meet the high demand for components, and multiple world events are now pushing the cost of living even higher, which is now expected to increase the price of semiconductors. What world factors have contributed to rising living costs, what have semiconductor foundries said, and when will semiconductor supplies normalise? What world factors have contributed to rising living costs?
CO2 Capture - A worthwhile goal or pointless?
Recently, Iceland unveiled the world’s largest carbon capture and storage system to help reduce the overall amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. How does carbon capture work, what is Iceland planning to do, and is carbon capture a pointless effort? The idea behind carbon capture is to remove excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere with the idea that reducing the levels of CO2 will help to slow down the greenhouse effect.
Hydrogen for heating - How can hydrogen help the renewables industry?
It is a well-known fact that the renewables industry faces challenges with energy availability, and the million-dollar question is what technology will help to act as an energy store for renewables. Electrolyzed hydrogen could be the answer to this, but its production goes beyond energy storage. Renewable energies such as solar and wind can produce electricity with no carbon emission (not taking into account CO2 produced during manufacturing processes).
Researchers develop woven lithium-ion batteries
Recently, researchers from China have demonstrated practical lithium-ion battery fibres that can be woven into textiles. What challenges do typical power sources face in wearables, what have the researchers achieved, and how could woven electronics change the wearable industry? Of all Industries on this planet, the one industry that would benefit most from electronics is wearables.
Apple steps back from image scanning algorithms on user devices
Recently Apple announced that it would integrate algorithms to detect illicit images on user devices but has since turned away from this. What was Apple’s original plan, why has Apple made a U-turn, and what does this tell us about user privacy? Recently, Apple has been surrounded by controversy with its plan to introduce image-scanning algorithms onto user devices.
Intel wins’ deal with DoD for domestic chip production
Recently, Intel announced that it has won a contract with the DoD to launch a new program called RAMP-C. Why are countries worldwide aiming for chip independence, what will the new program do, and should countries be striving for chip independence? Any engineer who has been involved with news, product announcements, or product development will be well aware of the current semiconductor shortage.
Researchers demonstrate how malware can detect its environment using the trap bit
Recently, security researchers demonstrated how the use of the trap bit in x86 processors could inform running malware if it is running in a virtual environment or not. What is the purpose of the trap bit, how can it benefit malware, and what does this mean for future CPU hardware and virtualisation? In the x86 CPU architecture, the trap bit is a special flag in the EFLAG register that raises an interrupt after completing a single instruction once the flag is set.
Digital twin created of all buildings in the US for environmental research
Recently, researchers in the US developed a digital twin of all buildings in the US to help develop energy solutions to reduce CO2 emissions. What is a digital twin, how did the researchers achieve a digital twin of the US, and where could this technology go? The term “digital twin” refers to a digital model of a real process, device, or system.
What is No-Code, and what challenges does it face?
It is hard to grasp how quickly technology changes and each change can leave some behind. What challenges do current technology trends present, what is No-Code, and is it the solution to keeping people up to date with technology? What challenges does rapidly changing technology present? For the past several thousand years, technology has progressed slowly presenting people with ample time to adjust. The introduction of bronze replaced stone tools, and the introduction of iron replaced bronze tools.
Amazon Sidewalk - A Step Too Far in Wide-Area Networks
Recently, Amazon announced its development of a new network system called “Sidewalk” that can help to connect devices more reliably to the internet. What is “sidewalk”, why is it a complete disaster for connection systems, and what technologies would provide better coverage? What is Amazon Sidewalk? When it comes to creating a wireless network at home, users only have one option; Wi-Fi. While Wi-Fi offers users a low-cost wireless solution, it is not the easiest system to deploy.
Police in Wales to Deploy IoT Sensors to Protect Farmers
Recently, an initiative from the police in Wales was announced that aims to protect farmers using IoT technologies. What challenges do farmers present, how will the initiative work, and what does this demonstrate about LoRa? What challenges does the agricultural industry present? Despite popular belief, the agricultural industry is arguably the single most important in the world.
Nevada Resident Arrested Over Exporting Electronics - Watch what you ship!
Recently, a resident of Nevada State was arrested for illegally shipping restricted electronic devices to Iran via intermediaries in Honk Kong. Why are some components restricted for export, what examples exist for device restrictions, and how can engineers determine if they are shipping something restricted? Why are some electronics export-restricted? When it comes to shipping electronic components, most engineers and consumers will almost never see or hear of an item they cannot ship.
Tesla's Testing LiDAR Despite Elon Musk Calling LiDAR a ‘Crutch’
Recently, a consultant in the automotive industry spotted a Tesla with a LiDAR system and was later confirmed that Tesla is working with Luminar. So what has Elon Musk said about LiDAR, why will LiDAR be a critical technology, and how will solid-state LiDAR systems change electronics? Elon Musk, Tesla, and LiDAR Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, is often very vocal about technology, the economy, and humanity.
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